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FIRST IN SCORE—NRSC HITS ’14 DEMS ON STATE OF THE UNION: Ahead of tonight’s State of the Union, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Jerry Moran is out with a memo highlighting how President Obama’s expected liberal tone tonight will cause headaches back home for vulnerable Senate Democrats who are up for reelection in 2014. “The reality is while President Obama and his team burns the political capital that he believes was earned last November, he is lighting an inferno under the electoral prospects for a number Democratic Senate candidates in 2014. Our team is ready to capitalize,” Moran writes in the memo, which will go out later this morning. “As the President and Democratic leaders in Congress double-down on their demands for higher taxes to finance even more out of control spending Republicans welcome and look forward to that debate in states like Louisiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, South Dakota, Arkansas, Alaska, and many others.”

The RNC is also out with a video saying Obama is “not serious” about fixing the country’s major problems. They list issues like the health care law, the debt ceiling debate and the economic stimulus plan and say in each case, Obama chose to raise taxes rather than “solve the real problem.’ Watch: http://bit.ly/14PByTu

SHOWCASING GOP INFIGHTING—American Bridge 21st Century shares a 2-minute web video they’ve prepared ahead of tonight’s State of the Union to highlight the back-and-forth between conservative talking heads and Crossroads/Karl Rove over the last week on cable and talk radio. Watch: http://bit.ly/14PCSWt

POLITICO LIVE’s evening coverage starts with a pre-game show from 8:30-9 p.m., featuring Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen and John Harris. After the speech and Rubio’s response, they’ll return to break down the speeches. Watch the livestream at politico.com or on News Channel 8 in D.C.

THE STAKES—FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: The State of the Union starts at 9 p.m. and will drive the conversation for the next few days. That’s the power of the bully pulpit.

(1) Can Obama create a galvanizing “moment” when he introduces the victims of gun violence?

(2) Does Obama come across as pandering to environmentalists or serious about tackling climate change?

(3) How will Republicans respond to Obama’s “path to citizenship” immigration rhetoric?

(4) Can Marco Rubio’s response live up to the media’s stratospheric expectations?

(5) How far does Rand Paul veer from the economy in his tea party response?

SOUTH CAROLINA EXCLUSIVE—TEDDY TURNER UP WITH ANOTHER BIO SPOT: The Republican candidate for Tim Scott’s House seat starts airing his third TV ad of the campaign today. “I’m pro-life, pro-traditional marriage and as a hunter I’ll defend your Second Amendment rights,” he says straight to camera. “But what I’m not is a career politician. Like you, I’m completely frustrated with what I see in Washington…It’s your values I’ll take to Washington.” An audio version of this will also air on country, Christian, and news-talk radio—along with pre-roll ads Hulu and Pandora—for the next two weeks. The spot was produced by Strategy Group for Media, which also does work for incumbent Palmetto State congressmen Jeff Duncan and Mick Mulvaney. Mark Sanford, Turner’s main opponent, has placed broadcast buys to run in Charleston for three weeks (Feb. 18-Mar. 19). Watch: http://bit.ly/14PCUh9

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Republicans in the South Carolina special election will debate in Charleston on March 14.

SCORE PREVIEW—BLOOMBERG DONATES $1 MILLION TO VILLARAIGOSA INITIATIVE: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is donating $1 million to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s education initiative, the Coalition for School Reform. The group backs reform-minded candidates in L.A. school board races. “Mayor Bloomberg is the most important voice in education reform today,” Villaraigosa says in a statement that will go out later this morning. “It is an honor to have his support, and we deeply appreciate his willingness to invest in our students’ futures here. This is a critical juncture for public education reform in Los Angeles, and Mayor Bloomberg’s gift will help us support candidates who stand for greater accountability and more choices for parents and students.”

SCOOPLET: A Democratic operative tells Score that two members paid their ENTIRE dues goal for the 2014 cycle ($300,000) in the very first month: Chris Van Hollen and Henry Cuellar. DCCC Chairman Steve Israel announced to the caucus last week that the committee raised $2 million in member dues during January, their best start of a cycle ever.

MASSACHUSETTS SPECIAL—CONTESTED REPUBLICAN PRIMARY LIKELY: “Gabriel E. Gomez, a former Navy SEAL and private equity investor, took out nomination papers Monday to run as a Republican in the special election to replace Senator John F. Kerry,” the Boston Globe reports. “The move paves the way for Gomez to formally kick off his campaign, and sets up a contested Republican primary, pitting Gomez against State Representative Daniel B. Winslow, a former aide to Governor Mitt Romney…Gomez, who is unknown but quietly gathering support from top Republicans, will now have until Feb. 27 to collect 10,000 certified signatures from voters to qualify for the April 30 primary.” Globe: http://bo.st/14PCVS2. Here’s James’ story from yesterday’s paper on the state-of-play on the Democratic side, including Stephen Lynch’s theory of the case: http://politi.co/14PD0Fq

VIRGINIA GOVERNOR—BOTH SIDES GO ON THE ATTACK: It’s a big week in the Virginia governor’s race, with both Democrats and Republicans launching attacks at candidates Ken Cuccinelli and Terry McAuliffe. With today’s official release of Cuccinelli’s book, The Last Line of Defense, Democrats in Richmond are planning a public reading of some choice passages from the book. Cuccinelli has already received criticism for passages of the book, including for using language similar to Mitt Romney’s “47 percent” comments. On the Republican side, Cuccinelli’s campaign went on the attack Monday against McAuliffe for his electric car company’s decision to build its plant in Mississippi, not Virginia. Read about their attacks here: http://politi.co/14PB3J5

NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR—POLL SHOWS CHRISTIE LEAD INCREASING: Fresh numbers out this morning from the Rutgers-Eagleton poll show that just under two-thirds of New Jersey voters think Chris Christie deserves to be reelected in November. A full 64 percent say he should get a second term, including 47 percent of Democrats. In a head-to-head matchup with presumptive Democratic nominee Barbara Buono, he gets three times the support she does: 63 percent of voters would choose Christie, compared with 21 percent for Buono. Part of Buono’s lack of support is her very low name ID around the state: two-thirds of voters say they don’t have an opinion of her or don’t know who she is.

ILLINOIS HOUSE SPECIAL—KELLY GETS RUSH, DAVIS ENDORSEMENTS: Robin Kelly, one of the Democratic candidates running in the special election to replace Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., got the backing of two Illinois congressmen Sunday. Both Reps. Bobby Rush and Danny Davis threw their support behind Kelly, citing their concern about gun control and the pro-NRA positions of fellow Democratic candidate Debbie Halvorson. Along with the news that Michael Bloomberg’s PAC is pouring $1 million worth of ads in to the race against Halvorson, it’s a sign that Democrats leery of Halvorson’s NRA backing are going all in to make sure she doesn’t win the Feb. 26 primary. http://politi.co/14PzMlf

SOUTH CAROLINA SPECIAL—COLBERT SISTER POISED TO WIN DEM NOD: After the departure of businessman Martin Skelly from the Democratic primary for South Carolina’s 1st district, Elizabeth Colbert Bush — sister of Stephen Colbert — is now the favorite to win the Democratic nomination. The only other Democrat remaining in the race is Ben Frasier, who declined to comment on Skelly’s departure. Whoever wins the primary will face one of the GOP candidates in a fairly crowded field that includes former Gov. Mark Sanford. http://bit.ly/Z6aOhW

POLLING—FRESH FOX NEWS NUMBERS: 43% say the top priority in dealing with illegal immigration should be securing the border, and 41% think it’s more important to deal with illegal immigrants already here. That’s roughly the same as two years ago. From the crosstabs: “Republicans and voters living in the South, West and rural areas of the country are more likely to give priority to border security. Democrats and those living in the Northeast, Midwest and urban areas are more likely to prioritize dealing with the illegal immigrants already in the U.S. Independents split down the middle on the choice.” http://fxn.ws/14PD2No

2014 NEWS—

GEORGIA POLL—HANDEL IS FAVORITE FOR PRICE’S SEAT: Karen Handel would be the clear frontrunner if Tom Price runs for the Republican nomination and she seeks his seat. A poll of likely Republican voters from Wenzel Strategies puts her at 40 percent, with her next-nearest competitor (state Sen. Judson Hill) at 13 percent. No one else got more than 5 percent from likely voters. Handel, the former secretary of state, lost a 2010 Republican runoff for governor to Nathan Deal. Toplines: http://bit.ly/14PD9bP

NRCC LAYS OUT POLITICAL TEAM FOR ’14 CYCLE: The National Republican Congressional Committee announced its political team for the upcoming cycle on Monday: Jon Reedy, Northeast Regional Political Director; Joe Pileggi, Great Lakes and Florida Regional Political Director; David Watts, Central Midwest Regional Political Director; Annie Kelly, Top Offensive Target States; Robert Jones, Western Regional Political Director; George Nassar, Southeast Regional Political Director.

NEW JERSEY SENATE—BOOKER’S FINANCE DIRECTOR RESIGNS: Samantha Maltzman, a recent hire as finance director for Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s Senate campaign, has left the job after less than two weeks. The Newark Star-Ledger reports that, while she may work for the campaign in some way, she won’t keep her current title. Maltzman was the finance director for Hillary Clinton, as well as New Jersey Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, so it’s notable she joined up with Booker in the first place — and that she’s leaving it so soon. http://bit.ly/WWuJvP

GREER PLEADS GUILTY—UNTIDY TRIAL AVOIDED IN FLORIDA: “After two weeks of behind-the-scenes wrangling, former GOP party chairman Jim Greer walked into court Monday morning and pleaded guilty to theft and money laundering charges that could put him behind bars for 3½ years,” the Tampa Bay Times’ Lucy Morgan reports. “Greer responded ‘guilty your honor'’ to charges he stole and laundered GOP campaign contributions through a company he created, Victory Strategies…The plea, which came moments before jury selection was to begin, ends the prospects of a two-week trial that promised testimony from former Gov. Charlie Crist and a who's who of Republican politicians. Statewide prosecutor Nick Cox … will recommend Greer serve the full 3½ years at his March 27 sentencing…No one will have to answer questions about a now famous trip to the Bahamas that involved — according to at least one witness — the presence of a number of prostitutes.” Mainbar: http://bit.ly/14PD9Zs. Adam Smith analysis: http://bit.ly/14PD7Rj

IOWA SENATE—STEVE KING NIXES SPANISH TRANSLATION EFFORT: “The House Republican Conference had planned last week to launch GOP en Español, which would translate and distribute Republican reactions to the State of the Union speech in Spanish. But … staffers working for two English-only hard-liners in Congress, Reps. Steve King of Iowa and Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, raised hackles,” National Journal’s Ben Terris reported. “There’s a conflicting message that comes out from the Republicans if we want to recognize the unifying power of English, and meanwhile, we send out communications in multiple languages,” King said. “Official business and documents needs to be in English.” http://bit.ly/14PDbAu

GEORGIA SENATE—PRICE CHIDES EARLY CANDIDATES: GOP Rep. Tom Price, considered a top prospect for the race to replace retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss, said in a statement Monday that it’s too early for him – or any other prospective candidates – to be thinking about jumping into the race. “Too often, elected officials look toward the next rung on the ladder instead of the task at hand,” Price said. “The election of Georgia's next senator is 21 months away and there is plenty of time for campaigning. To announce a decision prior to the completion of the work on the debt ceiling and critical fiscal policy in May 2013 would be distracting and unwise.” So far, the only candidate who’s officially announced is fellow GOP Rep. Paul Broun.

PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR—SCHWARTZ MOVES TOWARD RUN: Democratic Rep. Allyson Schwartz, who represents a Philadelphia-area district, is “seriously considering” running for governor next year against GOP Gov. Tom Corbett. Her chief of staff confirmed a report from Montgomery County Democratic Chairman Marcel Groen, who said Schwartz was “80 percent of the way” to getting in. Schwartz would bring over $3 million to the race, which is expected to be an uphill battle for Corbett no matter who his opponent is – his approval rating stands at 26 percent in a Franklin & Marshall poll out last week. http://politi.co/Ymnnjo

MASSACHUSETTS—BROWN KEEPS AN OPEN MIND FOR ‘14: Former Sen. Scott Brown, who earlier this month passed on a chance to run in the upcoming Massachusetts special Senate election, said he’s open to a run for statewide office in the future but hasn’t made any decisions yet. "I'm going to see what happens. I know there are a lot of good candidates looking at it. It's something that I really need to recharge the engines and spend some time with my family," Brown told a local TV station on Sunday. http://bit.ly/YmrBYi

MORE BAY STATE NEWS—CAPUANO CONSIDERS GUBERNATORIAL BID: Democratic Rep. Michael Capuano, who also considered a bid in the special election to replace Sen. John Kerry, said he’s considering running for governor in 2014. “Part of me thinks that some of the more interesting, more important fights over the next several years might be conducted at statehouses around the country and not necessarily on Capitol Hill,” he said, per the Boston radio station WBUR. His gubernatorial ambitions were seen as a big factor in why Capuano passed on the Senate race this year. Other Democrats considering taking the plunge in 2014: former Medicare and Medicaid administrator Donald Berwick and state treasurer Steve Grossman. http://bit.ly/X0n2pq

MITT’S OHIO DIRECTOR STARTS PR FIRM: Scott Jennings, a senior level operative from three presidential campaigns, veteran of the Bush White House and an advisor to Mitch McConnell’s last two reelections, has co-founded a full service public affairs, public relations and communications company called RunSwitch. The firm is headquartered in Louisville, KY. His two partners are Steve Bryant and Gary Gerdemann. http://bit.ly/14PDcUY

2012 FALLOUT—AIDE SAYS BACHMANN KNEW OF LIST THEFT: “Iowa campaign manager for Michele Bachmann's 2012 presidential campaign has testified in a sworn affidavit that the Minnesota Republican acknowledged to another staffer last year that she knew of the alleged theft of a home school organization's e-mail list by her campaign's state chair,” the Star Tribune’s Kevin Diaz reports. “The affidavit by Iowa political consultant Eric Woolson contradicts official accounts given by Bachmann's campaign over the past year that suggested the list was taken inadvertently and mistakenly used in fundraising.” http://bit.ly/14PDdIB

2016 WATCH—

RUBIO, PAUL ELEVATED IN STATE OF THE UNION RESPONSES: Obama may be the main focus of the State of the Union, but the 2016 Republican primary will also be front and center tonight as both Marco Rubio and Rand Paul deliver responses to Obama’s speech. Rubio is delivering the official Republican response to the State of the Union and Paul is giving the Tea Party response. It’s a test for both of them to see how well they handle themselves in the national spotlight – in some years, State of the Union responses have brought GOP pols more bad press than good. The dueling responses also set up a contrast between Rubio and Paul that will no doubt be remembered going forward into 2016: Rubio as the establishment’s choice and Paul as the tea party insurgent.

GROUPS ATTACK CUOMO IN IOWA AD: A coalition of groups are going after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a full-page ad in the Des Moines Register today, hitting him ahead of his decision on whether to allow fracking in his state. Maggie Haberman: “The ad features three words in World War III-style boldface type, reading, ‘NOT ONE WELL.’ Below, it says, ‘Governor Cuomo, America is looking to you. Don’t allow a single fracked shale gas well in New York. This is your chance to be a national leader on climate. Your choice now will be remembered forever.’” With Cuomo’s potential national ambitions, the ad sends a clear message to him about how his handling of the fracking issue will certainly come up in a future presidential run. http://politi.co/WWrtjT

PERRY/BROWN GOLDEN STATE SHOWDOWN: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who’s said he might be interested in running for president again in 2016, is visiting California on an economic development trip this week – and California Gov. Jerry Brown isn’t pleased. The two big-state governors are in the midst of a showdown after Perry began running radio ads in the Golden State touting Texas’s jobs record. Perry didn’t say which businesses he’s visiting on his trip, but told the San Jose Mercury News that Austin, Texas, would be the next Silicon Valley. “Twelve years ago, California wasn't looking over its shoulder," he said. "They're not looking over their shoulder now — they're looking at our backside." Brown fired back: "A lot of these Texans, they come here, they don't go back," he said last week. "Who would want to spend their summers in 110-degree heat inside some kind of a fossil-fueled air conditioner? Not a smart way to go." http://abcn.ws/Z6c7xs

HILLARY TOPS OBAMA IN POPULARITY: Clinton, the recently departed Secretary of State, is more popular among American voters than President Obama, per a new Quinnipiac poll. Clinton’s favorable are at 61 percent, compared with 34 percent who view her unfavorably – Obama, on the other hand, has a 51-46 favorable rating split. http://bit.ly/Z6a3Wo

SUSANA MARTINEZ, New Mexico’s Republican governor, said she would sign a bill that would require background checks on people who buy guns at gun shows: http://bit.ly/14PDjQv

LIGHTER CLICKS—

AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM, Grover’s outfit, releases a State of the Union bingo game: http://bit.ly/14PDkUs

Send to a friendNRSC warns vulnerable ’14 Dems before State of the Union— Bloomberg donates $1 million to Villaraigosa education fund— Va. candidates go on the attack—Massachusetts GOP gets contested primary